Love Will Thaw
by The-Knitted-Moonbeam
Summary: After the events of Frozen, everything is at peace. Except for one thing; Jack. He is Elsa's love interest, but they live in secret due to Jack's apprehension about others accepting him for who he is. As their life and the lives of their family intertwine and change around them, both Jack and Elsa and Kristoff and Anna are left with the question: What or who are we searching for?


Three Years After the Great Thaw…

"Kristoff? Kristoff! Where are you? I have to go into town and I need you to watch Erik for a few hours." Anna rounded the corner, fussing with her cloak ties. "And it would be great if you could tell Elsa where I'm going. You know how she worries about me." Anna looked up, right into the eyes of Sven the reindeer. "Sven?! What are you doing here? If any of the housekeepers find you roaming around the castle they'll have a fit."

"Aww, but Mommmm." A voice Anna could hear for miles caught her attention. She smiled and looked up on Sven's head.

"I know Erik, and I would let you play, but rules are rules." She reached up and carefully lifted her son off the reindeer. "Come on; let's go find your dad." She hoisted Erik up onto her shoulders and with her free hands took hold of Sven's reins. "You're going back to the stable Sven."

E

Elsa looked out of her window with longing. Every inch of her rebelled against the confinement, but she knew that if there was any chance for her to see him, she would have to be patient. Turning around, she picked up her tiara and placed it on her head. Approaching the door, she began to turn the handle. But before she exited, she felt a very strong surge of despair. Turning around again, she looked out the window to the snowy mountains. "A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the queen…" A single tear fell down her cheek. "I can't hold this back anymore."

A

After Anna had deposited Sven back to the stables where he belonged, she took Erik up to their share of the castle. After Kristoff and her had been married, part of the expansive estate was sectioned off for them and their family. Climbing the staircase, she opened Erik's bedroom door. The little boy had fallen asleep in her arms on the way back from the stable, and it took everything Anna had to not wake him up and take him with her. She would be late as it was, and it would take even longer to wake Erik up and get him dressed in some nicer clothes. Carefully placing him in his crib, she was reminded of how fast he was growing up. Erik would be two in a few months, and she worried he wasn't getting to spend enough time with kids his own age. Elsa wasn't married or settled down, and Anna didn't think that would happen in the near future, so that was out of the question. And his sibling, whether it be a boy or girl, wasn't due for a while yet. Anna smiled. Everything had happened so fast. It hadn't been more than a few months after their marriage when she found out. Kristoff had been delighted, since he'd never had a true family before. Anna had been a little nervous for a while, worried that Kristoff's occasional gruffness would wear off on the baby, but she was soon mistaken. He had become a wonderful father, never leaving Erik's or Anna's side and always being the first person to play with Erik or attend to him. She couldn't ask for a better family. Glancing at the clock, she realized just how late she was. After asking one of the housekeepers to watch Erik until she got back, Anna raced off.

K

"Anna is gonna kill me." Kristoff mumbled. He had been taking a walk when he realized the time. Anna was going to an important meeting for dignitaries in the land, and had needed him to watch Erik for a short while. Of course, seeing that Kristoff was now a prince himself, he too should be going to this meeting. Fortunately for him, Anna had said that the meeting was just going to be Elsa, herself and some other royal guy talking about taxes, so there was no need for him to attend. Thank goodness. He raced back to the castle and up the stairs to Erik's room, and slowing his pace, knocked softly. It was his little man's nap time after all. He opened the door quietly and came in, and closed it behind himself. The room was dim, but the open curtains let in light. He approached the crib and moved a lock of hair from Erik's eyes.

"Hey Kristoff!" A voice yelled. Kristoff jumped ten feet in the air.

"Ahhh! What, who's there, wait, what?" He spun around, only to be face to face with Olaf. He smiled with relief. "Oh Olaf, it's only you! Hey not so loud, Erik's trying to sleep." Turning around to crib again, Kristoff watched as Erik stirred, probably from the noise. "Shh, shh, it's okay, go back to sleep." He murmured softly. Erik relaxed and fell again into a deep sleep. He sighed and looked to Olaf. "Olaf, what are you doing here?" Olaf shrugged.

"Well, you see, I was just passing through looking for Sven, when I saw the door open. I thought I'd come in and take a look see."

"There wasn't anyone in here when you came?" Kristoff couldn't believe Anna would leave their son unattended for any length of time, let alone a few hours.

"Erik's in here." Olaf smiled. Kristoff frowned.

"I meant another adult. Like, a housekeeper, or, someone."

"Ohhh, you must be talking about the old lady who was in here."

"Yes, the…old lady." Kristoff looked around the room. "Where did she go?"

"Oh, well you see when I came in, she just looked at me and I was all like "Hi, I'm Olaf!" and she was all like…" Olaf paused, and then let out a long shrill scream. That did it. Erik woke up immediately and started crying. Olaf began to back up slowly, but not before Kristoff swung around to face him, scowling.

"Get. Out. Please."

E

As soon as that stupid meeting was over, Elsa was gone. Out the door and into the woods she went, as fast as she could go. She jumped over logs, ran past hills and charged past the woodland animals. She had to get to him. When it was in sight, she slowed and carefully fixed her hair. Her tiara had become crooked, but as she reached up to straighten it, she changed her mind, and instead took it off and hid it in her pocket. She walked over to the cave, and knocked on its rocky door. "Jack?" she called. Tears began to fall as hysteria set in. "Jack, please. I have to see you…I can't wait. And…" Suddenly the door swung open.

"Elsa? What are you doing here? I told you, we have to…" Jack was suddenly cut off as Elsa's lips pressed against his. She wrapped her arms around him, and him her. When he let go, he stared at her. "Elsa… this is dangerous. You know…"

"I know. But I had to see you. And Lena." Jack closed the door behind her, mumbling something about bull headed women, but he was smiling. He had missed Elsa's cold fire. "Where is she?" Elsa asked. Jack pointed down the hall, and Elsa practically sprinted to it. He knew she missed Lena so much, and he longed to be married to her properly, but there was just no way right now.

Elsa approached the bed silently. Lena was sleeping, and her white-blonde hair was almost glowing in the dim light. Elsa picked her up gently, and pressed Lena to her in a warm hug. As she held Lena tightly, she felt her stir, and carefully she pulled her away. Lena opened her eyes drowsily at first, but when they saw who Elsa was they focused immediately. "Mommy?" Lena whispered. Elsa couldn't hold it back anymore. Tears ran down her face, but she was smiling.

"Yes, my dear Lena. And I'm never leaving again."

A

Anna had never seen Elsa so agitated. All throughout the meeting, she could see that something had been bugging her sister, and as soon as it was over, Elsa was gone. But Anna shrugged it off. Elsa had always been aloof, and this should be no exception. Casually walking back to the castle, she was caught off guard by how many people there were in the square. Since the gates had been opened, usually there were a fair amount of people, but this was an almost celebration sized gathering. She turned to one of the men standing around. "Excuse me sir-" she started.

"Princess Anna! What a surprise!" The man fumbled as he bowed to her.

"Ugh, cut the formalities, will ya?" she teased. "I just want to know why everyone's here. Did something happen?" The man chuckled.

"Oh no, we're all just so excited for Queen Elsa." Anna wrinkled her brow. What was this man talking about?

"Excited for… what?" she asked. The man gasped, and so did the people around him.

"Haven't you heard the news? Queen Elsa has accepted a business proposition from one of the wealthiest kingdoms around!"

"Oh." Anna sighed. "You all must be… merchants, then?" The man nodded furiously.

"Of course, of course! We are so excited to…blah, blah…blah." Anna casually tuned the man out and backed away into the crowd. As soon as she thought it was safe, she took off at a sprint to the castle. That's when it hit. A sense of weightlessness engulfed her, and her mind immediately forgot how to function. She gasped, and her legs suddenly gave out from under her. She hit the concrete steps hard, and all she could do was gasp for air as her vision clouded. The last thing she saw was Kristoff running towards her.

K

Kristoff had been looking out Erik's bedroom window when he saw Anna go down. At first he just thought she was winded. But then she swayed, and fell, and didn't get back up. He ran as fast as he could down the stairs and out the door, and by then a small crowd had gathered. One man had picked up Anna in his arms, and looked like he wasn't sure what to do then. As soon as Kristoff approached, the man gently handed her to him, and with a quick nod, Kristoff was racing back to the castle. He ran up the stairs, but part way he stopped to look at Anna's hair. He almost couldn't do it; the thought of it happening again was almost too much. But, if that was the case, he needed to know. When he saw her orange-red hair and not white, he himself almost collapsed- but instead with relief. But then fear set in again. If it wasn't a frozen heart, then what was wrong? He didn't take the time to find out. Instead, he climbed the rest of the stairs and went into Anna's and his room. He carefully placed her on their bed, and pulled up a chair next to her. He took her limp hand in his, and held onto it tightly. He closed his eyes and whispered, "Please Anna… you have to be okay… you have to be." Suddenly, a small hand took his free one. He blinked open his eyes in surprise, only to see little Erik holding his hand. And Erik's free hand was holding onto Anna's free hand, forming a small and beautiful circle of family.

There was a knock at the door. Kristoff wanted to yell at whoever it was to go away and not come back for at least twenty minutes, but he knew he had to be dignified; after all, he was a prince now. He looked up, expecting to see a housekeeper or a servant, but instead it was Elsa. She looked frazzled and out of breath, and her eyes were very wide and very scared. She approached Kristoff wearily, and put her hand on his shoulder in comfort. "I know you're scared, but if I know my sister, I know that she's a fighter. Whatever happened, she'll pull through." Erik looked up at Elsa and grinned.

"Hi Auntie Elza!" He couldn't quite say S's yet, so Elsa had become Elza and Sven had become Zen. Elsa smiled down at the little boy, grinning at the familiar name. Suddenly, she let go of Kristoff's shoulder and took Erik's hand.

"Erik, there's someone I want you to meet. She's only a little older than you, and I think it would be great for you guys to finally see each other." Elsa was practically brimming with excitement. Kristoff looked up to the doorway again, dumbfounded as to who Elsa could be talking about. Only then did he notice the two other figures standing there. The first was a tall young man, maybe only a few years older than Kristoff, and next to him was a young girl, maybe three or so. The girl, who had been holding the man's hand, let go and raced up to Erik. She looked at him for a couple seconds, and then grinned really wide.

"I'm Lena! Let's play, okay?" Erik smiled big, and then he and Lena took off down the hallway to Erik's room. The man in the doorway shook his head and chuckled, but followed after the two eager young children. Kristoff, still holding Anna's hand, looked up at Elsa with confusion.

"Elsa, who is that girl? Do I know her? And the man? Is he a friend of yours? What is going on?" Elsa looked down at him with a look of pure agony. She looked like she was struggling with a dark secret, one she wanted to tell everyone, but couldn't- just like before. Kristoff let go of Anna's hand and rose to his feet. He crossed the room and shut the door, and looked back at Elsa. "Elsa, what is going on?" he whispered. Tears began to fall from Elsa's eyes as she sat in the same chair Kristoff had been before. She took Anna's hand in hers, and took a deep breath.

"I can't tell you. Not yet, but soon. I just have to figure a few things out, and then everything will be alright." Kristoff's eyes widened.

"Elsa, what are you talking about?" he glanced at Anna, and fear gripped him again. "Does it have to do with Anna? Because if something happened to her because of some secret you are bent on keeping, I…I don't what I would do." Elsa looked up at him, obviously surprised.

"No! No. This secret has nothing to do with Anna. I don't know what happened to her, but I can assure you it wasn't anything I did." _Or Jack or Lena, _she thought. Kristoff scowled.

"I sure hope not. Because if this is something serious…" Kristoff paused, and shut his eyes tight. He desperately hoped this was not serious, but Elsa needed to know the stakes. "Because if this is something serious, know that there are two lives on the line, not one." Kristoff could hear Elsa's sharp intake of breath. He opened his eyes, and sat down on the bed next to Anna. He reached across to her and gently pulled the loose hair away from her face. "Everything is going to be fine, I promise." He whispered.

J

Jack couldn't believe how fast it had taken Erik and Lena to become best friends. He knew that Lena didn't get to play with kids her own age that much, but he had still been leery to expose her to boys, especially at such a young age. But then again, the only people Lena had ever met before were her parents, so Jack just assumed this was as good a start as anywhere. He watched as Lena and Erik quietly built a fort out of pillows, every now and again laughing or pointing to where the next pillow should go. Jack smiled. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a wonderful family. When he had first met Elsa, he was as surprised as her to discover that they both had a power over ice and snow. At first, they didn't see each other as anything but two people with the same curse. But over time, as they got to know each other, something else started to form. A bond that connected them together, a bond that they could only describe as love. Elsa had wanted to get married right away, but because she was now queen, it was expected of her to marry another ruler or prince; and Jack was certainly no prince. Elsa had said that the kingdom wouldn't mind, that they would welcome him with open arms, but Jack wasn't so sure. Sure, the people could learn to love one ruler with a strange but beautiful ability, but two? It just seemed so uncertain to him. He wasn't going to chance Elsa's position, his freedom, Lena's family, and Elsa's and his love on some rings and a document. Maybe one day, when Elsa had been queen for longer and the kingdom was used to it, maybe then they could get married. But until, being together in their hearts would have to do.

A tug on his shirt sleeve broke his deep thinking. He looked down, into the deep blue eyes of his daughter. She was smiling, and without asking he knew what she wanted him to do. He laughed. "Okay, but only once. I'm not going to risk you two catching cold." He raised his arms into the air and made an arc with his hands, and at once, a small cloud opened up near the ceiling. He clapped his hands, and snow began to drop from the cloud. He sat back down and watched his daughter and nephew shriek and giggle in the snow. He closed his eyes, and leaned back against the wall. Smiling, he relaxed as a deep sense of peace covered him.

E

Elsa didn't leave Anna's side for three hours. Neither did Kristoff. Both of them were so worried for Anna. Other than appearing to be sleeping, Kristoff and Elsa couldn't seem to find anything wrong with her. A doctor had come, but had said the same thing; just to let her rest, and if she didn't wake up within the day, call him in the morning. So it became a waiting game. Once, Anna had opened her eyes for a few seconds, but just as soon they fluttered closed again. This was encouragement though. It showed them that whatever was keeping Anna down, she was fighting it.

There was a knock at the door. Kristoff had fallen asleep while watching Anna, so Elsa, stiff as she was from sitting in that chair for hours, got up and answered it. It was Jack, holding onto the hands of both Lena and Erik. "Oh, hi." She rubbed her eyes as she spoke, and tried to stifle a yawn. It was almost eleven and it was obvious that the kids were exhausted. She didn't know about Erik, but she knew Lena was always in bed by eight thirty, maybe sometimes nine. From the look on Jack's face, she could tell that he was tired too. "Do you want to take the kids and go upstairs to my room? The bed's big enough for all of you."

"Will there be room when you come up?" Jack asked. "We can bring a crib for Erik if there's not." Elsa shook her head.

"I don't think I'll be sleeping anytime soon. Really, you guys take the bed, and if I come up and want to sleep we'll figure something out then." She paused. "I love you Jack." She embraced him in a big hug, making sure to include Lena and Erik in it too.

"I love you too Elsa. Good night." Jack whispered in her ear. Elsa slowly withdrew and bent down to Lena. She kissed her daughter's forehead and smoothed her hair.

"Good night Lena. I love you very much." Lena just yawned and gave Elsa a hug. Elsa gave Erik a quick hug and ruffled his hair. "Your Mom is going to be just fine, Erik. I promise." Erik nodded sleepily, and Jack scooped him up in one arm and held onto Lena's hand with the other. She watched as her family quietly ascended the stairs, each battling different stages of exhaustion. She watched them until they disappeared from view before turning back into the room. She shut the door quietly behind her, fresh tears forming in her eyes.

K

Kristoff awoke with a start. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep until he woke up on the floor, his whole body stiff. "Ugh…" he groaned. "Note to self: don't fall asleep sitting up." He grumbled. From the light coming in the windows, it looked about dawn, maybe an hour or so after. The bright sunlight streamed across Anna's placid face, making her hair almost glow with light. "Oh Anna," he sighed. "So it really wasn't just a bad dream." He rubbed his temples, unsure of what to do now. He glanced across the room, surprised to see that Elsa was still there. She looked wide awake, and was sipping a mug of what smelled like tea.

"Morning Kristoff." She mumbled around the tea.

"Morning Elsa." He rose and walked over to the tray sitting on the table next to Elsa. He grabbed the pitcher of coffee and poured himself a tall glass. "Did you stay awake the whole night?"

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep." She set down her mug. "I have some news though." Kristoff glanced her way.

"Good or bad?"

"Neither really, just news."

"Okay, let's hear it then." Elsa took a deep breath before she spoke.

"During the night, Anna woke up. I spoke with her. She asked where she was, where you were, where Erik was. I answered them all." Elsa paused and looked at Kristoff. _He's taking this well,_ she thought.

"Go on." Kristoff replied.

"That's all. After that she nodded and fell asleep again." Kristoff sighed and took another gulp of his coffee.

"Did the doctor come again while I was asleep?" Elsa nodded, but her eyes betrayed her calm exterior. "What? What did he say?"

"The doctor said he didn't know what was wrong and that we would have to wait and see if she wakes up again."

"If? IF? If she wakes up? Not when but if?" Kristoff could feel himself losing it. "We are going on day two of the story of sleeping Anna here, and I'm supposed to just sit here and wait for her to POSSIBLY wake up?"

"Kristoff, it has been eighteen and a half hours. Not even a full day yet. It is entirely possible that Anna was just severely exhausted, and she'll wake up any second now plenty rested and ready to take on the day." Kristoff glared at Elsa.

"Do you really believe that?" Elsa paused, and looked down into her mug of tea. "That's what I thought." He set down his mug and crossed to the door.

"Where are you going?" Elsa asked. Kristoff turned back at her. It surprised him to see the all-powerful ice queen of Arendelle looking so helpless and feeble. It reminded him that Elsa was still human, although she was a pain sometimes.

"I'm going for a reindeer ride, if that's alright with you." Elsa nodded, and turned back to her tea and the rising sun. Kristoff quietly shut the door, and proceeded to sink to ground in a pile of useless despair. A few tears rolled down his face, but he quickly wiped them away. He stood and began walking down the hall. A reindeer ride actually sounded like a good idea right about now.

J

Jack didn't sleep the whole night. Something was nagging at him, but he couldn't put his finger on what. More than once he had gotten up to go see Elsa. It turned out she couldn't sleep either, although she had said she wouldn't. They had talked for a while, but for most of the visits, as short as they were, they just sat in silence. Now, as the sun came up over the hills, he watched as the people of Arendelle began to emerge. Elsa had told Kristoff and him that until Anna was unconscious for five days, her condition was to be a secret. There was no use worrying the kingdom if she would make a full and quick recovery. They both had agreed, so now, Jack watched the citizens go about their daily lives, completely unaware that their princess' life may hang in the balance. May.

He stood up from the bed and stretched. Looking in the mirror across the room, he immediately saw the dark circles under his eyes. Turning around, he cringed at the bed. Because he had been between Lena and Erik, everything had been fine. But now that he had gotten up, it was just the two of them. Jack knew he was over reacting, big time, but he was a father, and besides, they were cousins. He carefully scooted a few pillows in between Lena and Erik, and only when they were facing opposite sides was he satisfied. Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. He walked over to it and grabbed the handle, but before he opened it he called, "Who is it?"

"It's Kristoff. Can I come in?" Kristoff's voice was muffled by the door, but Jack could still hear the sadness in his voice. Jack opened the door, and ushered Kristoff in.

"Sure. Keep your voice down though, the kids are still sleeping." Kristoff nodded, and crossed to Erik's side of the bed. He chuckled when he saw Jack's pillow display, and Jack immediately turned three shades of red.

"I was just… I…" He sighed. "Overprotective parent, I guess." Kristoff looked across at him, smiling.

"Just for that, I like you and trust you with my boy." Jack smiled, but then thought about what Kristoff had just said.

"So, you didn't trust me before?"

"You were a stranger with a daughter who apparently knew Elsa and basically high-jacked my son while my wife lay unconscious." Kristoff chuckled. "I don't even know your name. So for me to trust you and like you are good things." Jack laughed nervously.

"Yeah, sorry about that. The kids were so excited about seeing each other that I thought I should follow them." Jack paused, and then extended a hand to Kristoff. "Let's start over from the beginning. I'm Jack, nice to meet you." Kristoff smiled, and shook Jack's hand.

"I'm Kristoff; it's nice to meet you Jack."

E

Elsa woke to someone shaking her. She blinked open her eyes, only to find herself staring into Anna's. "Anna!" Elsa gasped. She immediately stood and wrapped her sister in a big hug. When she pulled away, she could see that her sister still didn't look herself. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" Anna shook her head and gently sat down on the bed next to Elsa's chair. "You're… not okay?" Elsa asked softly. She stood and went to the tray. She poured two mugs of tea, and then sat back down in her chair. She handed the second mug to Anna, who accepted it gratefully.

"Elsa, what happened?" Anna whispered. Elsa stopped in mid-sip. She paused, and then set her mug down.

"You fell yesterday afternoon, and have been unconscious since." Anna's eyes widened.

"A full day?"

"Well, not quite. A little less actually." Anna put her head in her hands. When she looked up, Elsa could see tears in her eyes.

"Elsa, I don't know what's wrong with me. I've just been told that for reasons unknown, I was unconscious for almost a full day, and for some reason that doesn't bother me like it apparently bothered everyone else." Elsa took the mug from Anna and set it on the table, and sat down on the bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around her crying and confused sister, and they stayed that way for a good ten minutes. Suddenly, the door opened. Elsa looked up, relieved to see Kristoff standing there, with Jack, Lena and Erik in tow. Elsa watched as Kristoff registered the fact that his wife was going to be okay, and that she was up and talking.

"Anna…" he whispered, and he crossed the room in one stride. Anna turned to see him, and fresh tears poured down her face when she saw how relieved he looked. Elsa quickly let go of Anna, knowing Kristoff would want to give her a big hug.

"Kristoff!" she cried. He embraced her tightly, and her him. They sat that way for a while, hugging and crying and occasionally kissing. Finally, Anna must have realized that one of them was going to have to pull away, and it obviously wasn't going to be Kristoff. He looked as if he wanted to hold her forever. She gently pulled away, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm no quite sure why everyone is so emotional right now." Kristoff laughed, and wiped his own eyes.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?" Anna nodded, and gave a weak smile. After a box of tissues was passed around, Anna seemed to register that there were a few people in the room who she had yet to meet.

"Elsa, who are these people?" she asked, obviously confused. Elsa and Jack both laughed.

"Anna, this is Jack and his daughter Lena." It killed Elsa to have to say _his daughter _instead of _our daughter. _Anna nodded and rose to her feet. She was shaky at first, but after she got her bearings she was fine. Anna extended her hand to Jack, who shook it genuinely.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Jack. Any friends of Elsa's are friends of mine. Goodness knows she doesn't have many." She teased.

"Hey!" Elsa playfully shoved her sister, momentarily forgetting that she was still weak on her feet. She looked at Anna with fear, but Anna laughed, and for that moment, everything seemed at peace.

A

Although her ordeal had frightened her, Anna had returned to normal life shortly afterwards. Of course, Kristoff doted on her for a few days just to make sure she was truly alright, but after shooing him away multiple times, he finally got the idea and left her be. Right now, Anna was sitting in her favorite spot in the kingdom: the rooftop over her father's old study. It was the highest point on the castle, and the window ledge made for a perfect climbing foothold. She knew Kristoff would have a heart attack if he saw her up here, but maybe that's why she had come up. Not to make Kristoff upset, but to show him that she was fine, that whatever had kept her down was gone. She smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze off the water. Suddenly, she felt the presence of someone next to her. She blinked open her eyes and turned, only to find Jack sitting beside her. "Oh! Hello Jack. What brings you up here?" Jack turned to her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. However, he kept a serious exterior.

"Nothing your majesty, just noticed you up here and thought I take a gander at the view." Anna smirked at the title, and playfully punched his arm. To her surprise he shouted in pain.

"I'm so sorry, did I hurt you?" Jack laughed, and Anna caught the teasing glint in his eye. "Not funny." She relaxed back up against the roof and watched as Jack looked over the water.

"Hey Anna?"

"Yesss?" she asked. Jack looked at her out of the corner of his eye. _She looks so peaceful, _he thought_. Am I really going to tell her?_

"Anna, I need to tell you something. It's very important." Anna looked back at Jack.

"What is it?" She asked, sitting up straight. She had no idea where this could be going, but his tone implied a seriousness that she hadn't yet heard from him.

"Anna, you don't know me very well, or maybe even really at all. But you need to know…" Jack paused, and took a deep breath. "Anna, Lena is Elsa and I's daughter." Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Wait, what?" she asked. "You're not serious." But Jack's face was dead serious. Anna felt the color drain from her own face. "You… are serious." Jack nodded. Anna sat back against the pillar. How could this be? How had she not noticed? Why didn't Elsa tell her? Had she been so distracted with her own life that she neglected her sister to the point of keeping another big secret from her? All these questions and more circled through her head as she tried to process that Elsa was a mother and she was an aunt. Anna looked up at Jack. He was watching her, his deep blue eyes set on hers. "How long?" she whispered.

"How long what? How long has this been a secret?" he asked. Anna nodded, and a few tears leaked out of her eyes. Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, Lena will be three in about four months, so I guess about three years, maybe three and half." Anna closed her eyes tightly. For three years she had been left out of a relationship. For three years, she had missing out on a big part of her family. For three years, lives had been changed and reformed, and she was oblivious.

"Jack, why didn't Elsa tell me? Why haven't I met you before? You two must be married, or at least engaged." Jack shook his head.

"Anna, please don't blame your sister. Everything that has happened is my doing." Jack sighed again, and Anna could see that this must be very hard for him. "Elsa wanted to get married right away, even before Lena came along. We had known each other for, I don't know, ten months, a year, before we realized we were in love. When that realization came along, trust me, I wanted to propose right then and there. But there are rules. You're a princess, you must know them. Elsa is a queen, so that means that she must marry a man of royal blood." Jack laughed, but it was sharp and full of pain. "And it was obvious I was not. Besides, Arendelle might be able to handle one icy ruler." Suddenly, the sky darkened, and rain began to fall. Anna watched with amazement and horror as the ice turned to snow right before her eyes. Looking around her, she realized that the snow was only falling on her and Jack. "But not two." Jack whispered, his voice thick with emotion. The snow stopped, and Anna shook off the chill.

"Jack!" she yelled from the roof. But Jack was gone.

K

Kristoff laughed as Erik bounced up and down on his knee. He couldn't remember feeling this happy in a while. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Come in." Kristoff laughed. Erik reached up and grabbed a fistful of Kristoff's shaggy hair, and Kristoff smiled at his son's innocent curiosity. Gently prying Erik's fingers out of his hair, Kristoff looked to see who had come in. He smiled when he saw it was Anna. Rising, he carried Erik in one arm, and with the other swept Anna up in a big hug. "Hello my sunshine, how are you?" It wasn't until Anna pried away that he saw that she was shivering and slightly damp. Concern filled his head. "Anna, why are you cold? I mean I know it's September, but you're shaking like it's January."

"Kristoff, did you know?" Anna looked him in the eyes with a fury that he hadn't seen in a long time. He was taken aback, and looked at her bewildered.

"Know what?" he asked. Anna sighed, and sat down on the bed.

"About Elsa and Jack."

"What about them?" Kristoff had no idea where this was going, but now he was curious. Anna sighed again, and tears began to fall down her face. "Shh, shh, honey what's wrong?" he cradled Anna in a big hug, still holding Erik in his other arm. Anna cried gently into his shoulder.

"That Lena is their daughter." She whispered. Kristoff immediately stood rigid. He continued to hold onto Anna though, thinking about what she had said. How? How could Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, keep such a big secret- again? Especially from her own family? Kristoff didn't know, but he did know that his princess was hurting, and what he could do was hold onto her tightly and make sure she didn't slip away from him again.

E

Elsa was playing with Lena when there was a knock at her door. She stood and strode over to it, careful that she didn't make a sound. Pressing her ear against the door, she listened for any sounds that might give her a clue as to who was there. She had learned this skill at a young age, so she would know if it was Anna at her door or her parents. A sniffle, and a hush. Then silence. She was just about to answer it when the door flew open. She was banged against the wall, and sank to the ground, rubbing her nose and the back of her head. But she wasn't down for long. The commotion had startled Lena, and she began to cry. "Lena!" she raced over to her daughter and scooped her up in her arms, trying to console her. She whirled around with an arm extended, ready to ice whoever was trying to hurt her girl. To her surprise and shock, she found herself looking at Kristoff and Anna. "Anna? Kristoff? What is going on? Why did you-"

"Why did you keep your life a secret from us?" Anna challenged. Elsa looked at her in fear. Could they know? No, Jack would never tell. They had sworn to it, both of them.

"What are you talking about?" she hugged Lena closer, and she could feel the room growing colder. _No_, she thought. _Keep it together. You have it under control, just relax. _Anna crossed her arms, and Kristoff stood behind her.

"Her. Him. Ugh, EVERYONE!" Anna was obviously upset, and now Elsa knew that Anna knew about Jack and her.

"Anna, please, just let me explain."

"Explain? EXPLAIN? Explain how you left me out of three years of your life, and I didn't even know?!" Anna scoffed. "You can't."

"Elsa!" A voice called from behind Kristoff. Elsa looked past Anna to the doorway. There stood Jack, the man whom she'd trusted, loved and fought for. And also the man who had gone behind her back and spilled her-their- secret.

"Jack, why did you tell them? I thought… I thought we had an agreement…" Elsa trailed off as Jack ran to stand by her.

"Elsa, I felt like she needed to know." Elsa looked at him as if seeing him for the first time.

"Jack… I… I can't right now." Elsa closed her eyes, trying to fight back the growing tension. _No, _she thought. _Just let it go._ She opened her eyes again, and after she grabbed Jack's hand, slammed her foot into the ground. A prism of ice shot through the stone, startling Kristoff and Anna. That was the hint Jack needed. He raised his hands, and with some help from Elsa, created a thick blizzard in the room. As Kristoff and Anna tried to get to them, confused and vision-impaired, Jack, Elsa and Lena all raced to the window ledge. Stepping up, Elsa handed Lena to Jack. She focused, and made a beautiful bridge of ice from the window ledge to the next pillar's roof. She took Lena back from Jack, and started across the ice bridge. Jack soon followed behind her, but running backwards, quickly melting the ice so Kristoff and Anna couldn't follow. As soon as they reached the other rooftop, they did the same, making bridge after bridge of ice and melting it until they reached the hill side. As Jack, who was carrying a now sleeping Lena in his arms, began running up the hill, Elsa stopped and looked back at her kingdom. She was their queen, and she was abandoning them- again. But if she didn't protect her family, she would never forgive herself. But Anna and Kristoff were her family too, and they wouldn't have hurt them. They were both just hurt and frustrated. Elsa sighed, very confused. "What have I done?" She whispered.

J

Jack pressed a sleeping Lena tightly against his shoulder, trying to keep her out of the wind. It might be September, but at night, the wind sure felt like December. He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Elsa was still following, and to his relief she was. When they had started out, he was worried that she might turn around and go back. He knew that whatever choice she made though, she would struggle with the other. As they continued to trudge uphill, he thought about what he had done. He had basically betrayed everything he and Elsa had tried to so hard to keep, and for what? He couldn't answer that. He just knew that something had told him that Anna needed to know. Why he thought that she wouldn't tell Kristoff was a whole new level of stupidity on his part. Suddenly, Lena stirred. "Daddy, I'm hungry." She whined. Jack sighed. Because of all the commotion before they left, they didn't have anything with them expect the clothes they were wearing. He gently pulled Lena's hair from her eyes and smiled at her.

"I know Lena, but we're just a little way from the house, and then we can stop and eat." Lena nodded and leaned up against his shoulder again. Jack stopped and ran his hand through his hair, a habit he had when he was stressed or nervous. He turned around to Elsa, who had caught up to him while he was talking to Lena. "Elsa, I think the cave would be safer. They know to check your ice castle first, but they don't even know my cave exists." Elsa nodded, and then glared at him.

"Yeah, I agree. Unless you spilled that secret too."

"Elsa, I felt like she needed to know! I don't know why, but I told her, and that's that. I can't change the past." Jack could tell Elsa was losing her patience.

"You don't know why? You don't know WHY? Jack, you're telling me that you have no idea, not even the faintest clue, as to why you, the one who enforced our separation and secrecy the most, would spill our secret to the rest of my family?" Elsa face was flushed with frustration.

"Elsa, they're my family too. And yes, I don't know why. Something just told me that she needed to know! And I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I was going to tell her, and I'm sorry that I told her without you there. And if there's anything else I'm forgetting, I'M SORRY." Elsa sighed and began walking again. Jack followed behind, mulling everything over in his head.

When they arrived at his cave, Jack carefully pushed the rocky door aside and ushered Elsa in. She went in, and after taking Lena, Jack pushed the door back in place. "She's hungry, so if you could wake her up and get her something to eat that would be great." Elsa nodded and headed to the kitchen. Jack walked over to one of the two kitchen chairs and flopped down. His feet were killing him, and he knew if his bare feet were killing him, he knew Elsa's- stuck in high heels- must be about ready to fall off. He watched as Elsa set Lena on the counter, and taking some peanut butter and bread from the cabinet, attempted to make a peanut butter sandwich. Her face suddenly turned bright red, right before Jack saw the tears roll down her face, soft at first, and then a downpour. He stood and embraced her in a hug, carefully resting his chin on her head. He didn't even need to ask what was wrong. Combined with the fact that she didn't know how to make a sandwich, it was all the stress of the past few days rolling out into one rainstorm. When he felt like she was close to the end, he let her go and looked into her eyes. "Hey," he whispered. He moved a stray lock of hair away from her eyes. "It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. We'll go back in the morning maybe, or the tomorrow some time, and fix this. Everything is going to be fine." Elsa nodded and slowly returned to the sandwich. Jack didn't put her at fault for not knowing. She had grown up a princess, and now a queen. She had never needed to know how to cook or make a sandwich. And even though she and Anna weren't selfish or demanding, he knew that they both were treated like royalty. Jack followed behind Elsa. He gently put his hands on her wrists, carefully guiding her and teaching her in the art of sandwich making. When he was sure she had it covered, he let go, and watched as Elsa put the sandwich on a plate and handed it to Lena, who accepted it gratefully. Jack and Elsa watched as something as small as a sandwich pulled their family back together, even if it was only for a few moments.

A

Anna sat on her bed, quietly crying into her hands. What had happened? Why did they run away? She knew. They had felt threatened, so they had fled. Just like before- except before Elsa had left to protect everyone else. Now she had left to protect herself. Suddenly the door creaked open. Anna looked up, expecting to see Kristoff, but she surprised and glad to see that it was Erik. "Mommy?" He asked. His little voice sounded nervous. She wiped her eyes and stood.

"What is it Erik? What's up?" Erik trotted into the room and stood in front of her, holding something behind his back.

"Where's Lena?" He asked. Anna sighed, and gently scooped Erik into her arms.

"Erik, my sweet boy. Sometimes, people come into our lives that make us wish that they would stay forever." She looked out of the window, looking towards the North Mountain. This was hard. How do you explain to your son that his new friend, his only friend really, might not be coming back? Anna looked down into the deep brown eyes of her son. "Erik, Lena had to go. She wanted to say good-bye, but there wasn't time. But she might come back. We don't know." Tears suddenly sprung into Erik's eyes. He struggled in Anna's arms, and she put him down. He ran out of the room crying and into the hallway, where Anna watched Kristoff stoop and wrap him in his arms. Kristoff looked up at Anna, concern and angst in his eyes. He carefully picked Erik up and they went down the hallway, probably to Erik's room. Anna started to follow, but as she took a step forward, something crunched under her foot. Bending down, she picked up two halves of a perfectly crafted snowflake made of ice. It was about the size of her palm, and when she turned over the halves, she saw that there was writing on it. Putting the sides together, she read the inscription: "Friends". Anna clutched the snowflake halves to her chest, and sank to the ground, crying again.

K

Kristoff was deep in thought as he carried a softly crying Erik to his room. He knew his son was heartbroken, and rightfully so. Erik had not only lost his friend, but apparently his cousin too. Opening Erik's bedroom door and then closing it behind him, Kristoff laid Erik in his crib and, after looking around the room to make sure no one was listening, he began to sing a gentle lullaby.

_The wind rises and blows the clouds_

_To the sea where they are happy_

_The gulls and birds sing and chirp _

_A song that lives forever _

Kristoff usually didn't sing, but he knew it was a sure fire way to settle Erik down, so you do what you have to. After he was sure Erik was asleep, Kristoff sat on the window seat and stared out to sea. Sometimes he really missed all the hours he had spent hauling ice and breathing cold mountain air. All the quiet serenity he had felt when it was just him and Sven up in the high hills. He loved Anna and Erik, and wouldn't trade them or his new life for the world, but there would always be a part of him that would miss the rugged life. Standing up, he stretched and, after peering into the crib one last time, left the room. After appointing a house keeper to watch Erik, he walked down the stairs to the ballroom. Opening the doors, Kristoff cringed as his thick leather boots made loud clinked noises on the freshly waxed floor. Standing to the side, he pulled them off and tossed them aside. Socks were much quieter. He crossed to the large clock on the far side and, opening the door, carefully reached past the pendulum and grabbed a folded up sheet of paper from behind the gears. Closing the clock door carefully, he sat down next to it and unfolded the paper. It was fragile and yellowed, and there were a few small tears on its edges. It read:

_My Dearest Kristoff,_

_This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I want you to know just how much I love you, how much your father loved you. I always hoped that there would be a way for us to stay together, but I knew deep in my heart that we couldn't. Kristoff, you are an amazing son, and your father and I couldn't have dreamed for one more perfect. But my chapter in your book of life has ended. It is time to say goodbye, however heart wrenching it may be. I love you Kristoff, and don't ever forget that._

_~ Mother_

As many times as Kristoff had read the letter, it still made him confused. He could hardly remember life beyond his troll family, and the memories he did have were faint and confusing. He leaned his head against the wall and groaned. Everything was falling apart. Elsa, Jack and Lena were gone, Erik had just lost his friend, and Anna was mourning the loss of her sister- again. And now, Kristoff had this stupid letter bugging him again. Suddenly, he remembered something. He sat upright as the memory came to him, as strong as a winter storm.

_He remembered sitting in a cabin, and hearing a woman's voice yell out a window. There was a knock at the door, and a man came in, shivering, wet and cold. He carried a young girl, whose body had frozen to solid ice. The woman screamed, and she took the frozen statue of girl and sobbed over it. The man sat down on a bed beside a warm fire and stared into it bleakly. All light had left his eyes, and he suddenly began to speak. The words he said were faint; Kristoff tried to remember them, but the whole memory was starting to leave. The man spoke. "He struck her. Right…heart. Poor kid, he didn't mean too, he just couldn't…his power." There was a pause before the man began. "He got…too. I'll be gone…in a while." The woman suddenly laid the girl on the bed and raced to the man. But she was too late. He had been nearly frozen when he walked through the door, and the grief of losing the girl was too much. He froze to solid ice just before the woman's lips touched his, and when they did, she felt nothing but cold. She screamed again, and raced over to Kristoff, who had been surprisingly placid the whole time. She hugged him fiercely, and he hugged her back. The door suddenly flew open, and a small figure stood there. He looked very scared, and very nervous. When he saw the two frozen people, the boy hit the ground and began to cry. The snowflakes that had begun to swirl through the open door stood still, and in an act of innocent grief, the boy let loose a terrible blast of energy. It was headed straight for Kristoff, when suddenly the woman pushed him out of the way. It struck the woman, engulfing her in ice. She fell to the ground, shivering and cold. Kristoff helped her up, and got her into bed, and when he looked up the boy had disappeared. _

_ It took the woman three days to die, and in that time she drifted in and out of consciousness. She had just enough time to write a small letter and give it to Kristoff before she froze to solid ice. Kristoff had been too little to understand what she needed to be saved, and even then he wasn't sure if the woman knew either. And so Kristoff was left in the memory, just him in a cabin with three frozen people. As the memory faded out, Kristoff's last look at his younger self was of him sitting down on the cabin floor, crying and hugging a younger Sven tightly. _

When he returned to the normal world, Kristoff was dizzy and disoriented. He stood, but nearly fell, and had to grab the clock for balance. He was left with only one thought, and he spoke it softly, unable to believe it. "Jack killed my family."

E

Elsa rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She stood up from the bed and stretched, enjoying the warmth the sun provided as it streamed through the window. She ran her fingers through her hair, enjoying having it down for once. Not that she didn't love her wispy side braid, but letting it down once in a while was good fun as well. Elsa looked back to the bed at Jack, who was still sleeping. His floppy white hair was ruffled and stuck to his forehead, and his mouth copied a wide mouthed bass'. A thin layer of drool coated his chin and the pillow, and Elsa tried to stifle a giggle. She didn't want to wake him. She knew from the few times that she had gotten up in the night that Jack hadn't slept much, so knowing that he was finally getting some rest was good news to her. She carefully pulled the sheet back over Jack's shoulders, and gently kissed his cheek. She strode to the kitchen on quiet feet, and reached into the cupboard for some mugs. Jack always kept some spare tea bags for her, but today, she decided she was going to try coffee. Elsa grabbed the tall can of coffee and followed the directions on the side. Once it was done, she realized just how amazing the smell of coffee was. Suddenly, there was a laugh from the hallway. She looked up and smiled. Jack was standing there, his hair still floppy but the drool wiped away. He walked over to the counter and smiled at her. "Did you make this for me?" he asked, his deep blue eyes searching her.

"Yeah, I thought we could both use a good start to the morning." She looked back, and pushed the second mug towards him. "Cheers." She sipped the coffee delicately, but just as it got to her taste buds, she felt her face twist. After politely swallowing it, she gagged and set the mug back down. "That is disgusting! It tastes like tar!" Jack laughed, his eyes tearing up from the force. "Hey, it's not funny!" Elsa cried, but she found that she too was laughing.

"You should have seen your face! That was priceless!" Jack was practically crying, and when he finally stopped, he walked around the counter to Elsa. "I'm sorry, but that was just too good." He wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her in for a hug. She smiled, and gently kissed him. And for the first time in forever it seemed, everything was at peace.

J

After breakfast, Jack decided to take a walk. He needed some time to think about a few things, and the outdoors was the best place to do it. He walked along a foot trodden trail in the dirt until he came to a rocky overhang. Waving his arms, he brushed the thin dusting snow away from a spot just large enough for him to sit, and sat down. He looked out over the forest, and in the distance he could see the faint outline of the castle. Jack sighed, and ran his hands through his hair. The kingdom. Anna and Kristoff. The kids. Elsa. So much was going through his head. He needed a break, even if it was just for a little while. He stood and raised his arms to the sky. Jack danced around in a circle, magic flowing from his fingertips, and laughed as snow fell gently on top of him. He created a tall ice pillar, and making small ice stairs to the top of it, sat down and watched the world from a bird's perspective. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. Elsa had told him about what she had done to Anna, freezing her heart and everything a while back, but just now a memory from his past seeped into his head. He gasped as the vision came, so strong it felt like it was happening right before his eyes.

_Jack was walking through the woods, confused and lost. He didn't know where he was, and the temperature was rapidly dropping. But that was okay. The cold had never bothered him. He wandered for a little while longer, when he suddenly heard voices. He hid behind a bush, and watched as his breath didn't cloud the air, but instead froze it. He smiled, still amazed at all the stuff he could do. As he was practicing making little snowmen, a girl's head popped out next to him. Jack screamed, and the snowmen stopped dancing. The girl looked at him in wonder, and then reached out her hand to him. Jack looked deep into her brown eyes. She had more blonde than brown hair, and it was carefully braided down her back. She gently placed her hand on his head, feeling his white hair with her mitten. Then she smiled, a warm, happy smile. "Are you Santa Claus?" she breathed. Jack laughed. _

_ "No, but I like the snow too." The girl giggled. "Watch this!" Jack made a few small snowballs in his hands and handed one to her. She cooed in wonder, and took one from him. She looked him in his eyes, and then dropped the snowball. They played in the snow together for hours, until suddenly, she grabbed his arm and held on tight. _

_ "Can you make me do that too?" She looked up at him, hardly breathing in case Jack said no. Jack looked down at her. This girl looked his age, almost five, and she was really nice. He'd never tried it before, but maybe it would work…_

_ "Sure! Let's try it!" The girl screamed in delight. "Okay, hold still. I don't know what's gonna happen, but hopefully some of my ice magic will go to you, and then we can make snowballs together!" The girl backed up a few steps, and Jack took a deep breath. He gently placed his right hand on her heart, and his left hand on her forehead. He closed his eyes, and focused all his energy into the girl. "1…" He didn't realize it, but snow had begun to fall. "2…" The wind picked up, and howled around them. "3!" He released all his power into the girl. She screamed as the powerful magical force slammed into her. She sank to the ground, gasping. Jack watched in horror as his new friend rapidly began to form to solid ice. "Wh-what's the matter? Why didn't it work?" He realized within a few seconds that she was not okay. "Here lie down. I'm gonna get help." He gently laid the girl down, watching as her hair turned white from the roots down to the tips in a matter of a few seconds. He gasped when he saw her fingers beginning to turn blue, and snowflake outlines began to trace her soft face. He didn't know what to do, and time was running out. So Jack did the only thing he knew how to do. He sat down next to the girl and held her in his arms, a few tears leaking down his cheek and then freezing before they hit the ground. _

_The girl was almost completely frozen now, but Jack realized something. He didn't even know her name! "Please, what is your name?" The girl looked up at him, and with all her remaining strength whispered a single word:_

_ "Tesa…" she whispered. And with that, her face froze over, and her last breath clouded the air before Jack's face. He sat there, her frozen form still in his lap. He wanted so much to close her eyes, but he couldn't, as they would be frozen open for all eternity. And it was all his fault. He sobbed violently over her, and around him sharp ice spears rose from the ground, forming a jagged circle around them. Snow began to fall, and soon the ground underneath them was slick with ice. _

_ "Tesa!" A gruff voice screamed from afar. A figure approached, and when his eyes saw Jack cradling Tesa, he fell to his knees. "…No." He whispered. A few tears dripped down the man's weary face, and he rose to his feet. "Please young man, let her go." he cleared his throat, his voice thick with emotion. Jack jerked his head up at the voice, scowling and baring his teeth. _

_ "No! You won't take her from me!" Jack's emotions formed a thick snowstorm. The man tried to fight his way through, but it was useless. "No one will!" Jack screamed. In his fear and rage, all the snow was suddenly sucked back into him, and released in a powerful and sharp blast. It struck the man, and he sank to his knees. Jack spun around, and let out another cry when he realized what he had done. The man got to his feet and carefully reached for Tesa. _

_ "Please… she's my daughter. Please let me take her home." Jack trembled all over, and blindly nodded his head. He watched in shocked silence as the freezing man picked up a frozen Tesa and carried her in his arms. The man slowly trudged away until he was nothing but a speck in the distance. Jack placed his head in his arms, and sobbed. What had he done? He didn't mean to hurt Tesa, and now she was gone. And he had hurt her father too. Jack was suddenly hit with a horrible thought. What if her father died because of him too? He couldn't let that happen. He had to help her dad. _

_ Jack had followed the man's footprints all the way back to a small but warm cabin in the woods. He was just about to knock on the door when he heard a woman scream. He peeked through the side window, and screamed himself when he saw Tesa's father frozen to solid ice. A woman was hugging a young boy tightly, and the boy was looking right at Jack. Jack raced to the door and flung it open. Seeing the family, the now broken family that he had caused, he fell to the ground. He watched as the snow that had swirled into the room stopped, as if frozen in time. He opened his mouth and let out a horrible cry, one that could only be described as someone who had lost everything, someone who had lost all hope. He lost what little control he still had left on his powers, and they exploded around him in a sharp snowflake. The magic raced towards the boy, but at the last second, the woman, presumably his mother, pushed him out of the way. All the energy hit her, and she was engulfed in ice. She hit the floor, shivering, and the small boy raced over to her. Jack had seen enough. His powers were a danger to everyone. He got up and raced out the door, running as fast as his feet could take him. He had to get away, to a place where he couldn't hurt anyone anymore. He approached a small cave, and going inside, saw that it was a lot bigger inside than it seemed. There were a total of two small rooms off each side of the big main room, and it didn't seem like anything already lived here. So Jack carefully gathered up some sticks and grass from the ground and fashioned himself a bed underneath a hole in the roof of the main room. He covered it in a soft, pillow-y layer of snow magic, and laid down on it. In the light of the moon shining in from the roof of the cave, Jack slowly drifted into sleep, tears staining his young face. _

Jack gasped as he returned to the real world. He grabbed his head, and lost all control of his balance. He tumbled off the side of his ice pillar and landed on the cliff overhang where he had been sitting before. He cried out in pain as his head seemed to split, and he felt a familiar chill in the air right before he lost consciousness.

A

Anna couldn't find Kristoff anywhere. They had planned on spending the day together, first having a nice lunch and then going for a carriage ride around the kingdom. But when she had woke up from her short but much needed nap, Kristoff wasn't anywhere to be seen. She rounded the hallway to the ballroom. She doubted Kristoff was in there, but he wasn't anywhere else, so she carefully pushed open the door. Anna looked around the room and spotted Kristoff curled up in a ball next to the grandfather clock. "Kristoff! There you are!" she cried. She raced over to him and grabbed his hands in hers. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" She paused, noticing that Kristoff wasn't just sitting quietly. "Kristoff, what's the matter?" At first it had seemed like he was just curled up, maybe sleeping, but now Anna realized that he was crying. "Kristoff…?" Kristoff raised his head and looked deep into Anna's eyes.

"Anna… they're dead." He managed to get out before a fresh round of tears engulfed him.

"Who's dead? Kristoff, talk to me, who's dead?" She gasped and squeezed his hands harder. "Please don't say Elsa and Jack and Lena. Kristoff, what is going on?"

"No, it's not them." He whispered. Suddenly, a new emotion replaced sadness. It was anger. Kristoff practically growled when he spoke. "But Jack will be when I get my hands on him."

"What? Kristoff, what are you talking about?" Anna had never heard Kristoff talk like that before. It scared her.

"Anna, I just remembered something. I don't know why it came just all of a sudden, but it did. I remembered that when I was little, Jack froze my mother, father and sister." He paused, remembering what had almost happened to Anna. "They all froze to death, to solid ice. I don't know why I didn't remember until just now, but I was so little. Too small to remember everything."

"What? Kristoff… I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly. "You never told me you had a family. I mean, not outside the trolls." Kristoff wiped away his tears.

"I didn't know. Like I said, I never remembered anything before the trolls, so this was news to me too." He handed Anna the letter his mother had written him. "I've had that my whole life and until now never knew what it meant." Anna took the letter from him and silently read it. When she was done, she handed it back to Kristoff, the paper slightly damp with her tears. He put it back in the clock, and shut the door. They sat that way for a while, hugging each other and crying into each other's shoulders. Suddenly, the grandfather clock struck noon, and because they were sitting so close, it scared them out of their socks. They laughed and hugged some more, before Kristoff finally stood. Anna took his outstretched hand and stood as well, and she looked into his deep brown eyes.

"What are we going to do now?" she whispered. Kristoff looked back at her, agony twisting his face.

"I don't know." He began walking to the door. She watched him, tears forming in her eyes. How had everything fallen apart?

"Kristoff, don't hurt him. It won't make you feel any better and it will only make the situation worse." She whispered to him. He looked back at her, and without warning she ran into his arms. Soft tears fell down her face, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not going to hurt him, I promise." He sighed and buried his face in Anna's hair. "I just don't know what to do."

K

Kristoff rode along the beaten down path, deep in thought. He didn't know what he was going to do when he found Jack, but he did know a conversation needed to be made. Sven suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, his ears pricked in suspicion. "What? What is it Sven?" he asked, suddenly nervous. Sven took a few steps forward, and that's when Kristoff saw it. A humungous pillar of ice, glinting and slowly melting in the afternoon sun. "What the-" He jumped from Sven's back and led him by the reins. "Did Elsa make this?" he thought for a moment, remembering that Jack apparently had ice magic too. "Or him." As he stared up at the pillar in bewilderment, his boot brushed up against something cold. He looked down, and screamed. Kristoff jumped back, startling Sven, who grunted in surprise. Kristoff slowly bent down, and put his hand over his mouth, in a futile attempt to keep in his chocking cry. For on the ground near his feet, was Jack. His head was gashed open, and the rocks around him were stained red. His mouth was gaped strangely, as if it was gasping for breath but froze in the position. But the worst thing wasn't the previous two: it was the fact that Jack didn't appear to be breathing. Kristoff bent down and pressed his ear to Jack's chest, and to his utmost relief there was a beat. Small and faint, but a beat. He immediately scooped Jack up and placed him on Sven's back. He jumped behind him, and kicked Sven hard.

They rode off deep into the woods, towards Elsa's castle. At least that's where he assumed Jack and Elsa were staying. But as he approached a small clearing, a sharp scream rung out. Kristoff stopped Sven quick, and looked down- into the small and terrified eyes of Lena. "Lena." He breathed. "Lena, where is your mother? It's an emergency." Lena trembled all over, and pointed to an open cave. Kristoff nodded and jumped off of Sven, carefully grabbing Jack around the waist as he did. He carefully, as easily as he could, slung Jack over his shoulder and walked towards the cave. "Lena, will you play with Sven? Please?" she nodded, and Sven sat down and rolled around in the grass like a dog. "Don't go anywhere, okay?" She nodded again, and giggled when Sven licked her face. Kristoff high-tailed it to the cave, and walked inside. He was surprised to see that Elsa was smiling. Not at him of course, but at whatever book she was reading. He cleared his throat, and Elsa looked up, the smile still on her face. But it evaporated when she saw Jack.

"Jack? Jack!" She ran to Kristoff, knocking over her chair in the process, and took him from Kristoff's arms. She wasn't strong enough to hold him though, so Kristoff helped. Elsa lovingly stroked Jack's face, tears beginning to form. "What happened?" she whispered.

"I don't know. I was out riding with Sven when I found him. He was just lying on the cliff side, and there was this really tall ice pillar nearby, and that's-" Elsa looked up at him in shock and terror. Kristoff suddenly realized how that sounded, and immediately regretted telling her about the pillar. "Elsa, whatever happened, Jack was not the reason for his current state." Elsa breathed a small sigh, but it was short lived.

"Help me get him to our bedroom." Kristoff nodded, and he followed Elsa to a room off the main room of the cave. There was a bed in the center, and he gently placed Jack on it. Elsa covered him with a quilt, one that Kristoff happened to notice was made of ice; just like Elsa's dress. Elsa quietly sat down next to Jack, and this time she freely cried. Kristoff realized just how awkward this was, and stepped out of the room. He ran his hand through his hair, silently wishing that Anna was here with him right now. _No._ He thought. _Elsa was there for me when I needed someone when Anna was down. Now she needs me, so I need to be here for her._ He carefully stepped back into the room and put his hand on Elsa's shoulder.

"Elsa, I want you to know I'm here for you." He sighed and looked at Jack, his breathing faint and wheezing. "Should I go get Anna? You might need her here, and that way Erik and Lena could see each other again." He stopped, and thought for a moment. "But I won't leave if you need me to stay." Elsa sighed and wiped her eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah, please go get her. I need to talk to her, and it would be good for the kids to be together again." She paused and looked at Jack. In an instant Kristoff witnessed Elsa's walls come crashing down. Every emotion and feeling she had ever held back was wide in the open now, and that's when he realized how broken she had become in just a few minutes. _That's how you know you're in love. _He thought. When he saw Anna freeze, he killed him inside to try to imagine living a life that didn't have her in it. It seemed so bleak, so desolate, so empty and void of all happiness, that he knew that if she was gone forever, so was his heart. He wouldn't love another like her again. But he had been lucky. Anna had saved herself; she hadn't needed him to save her, and that made him love her even more. In fact, it wasn't until Erik was born until Kristoff realized that he would do the same if that's what it came down to. Of course he would've with Anna, but holding Erik, so innocent and defenseless, was a different experience. He knew right then that if anything tried to threaten his son's life, it would Kristoff who would take the arrow. So Kristoff nodded, and walked back to the main room of the cave. There, Lena was sitting quietly, playing with her dolls.

"Lena?" Lena looked up, surprised. "I think you should go talk to your mom. There are a few things that you need to know." Lena nodded, dropped her dolls and ran to her parents' room. Kristoff walked outside, and in the fading sunlight, mounted Sven. He had so much to tell Anna, and time was running out for Jack.

E

After Kristoff had left, Elsa ran to the bathroom and retrieved a bowl of warm water and a washcloth. Of course, the water didn't stay warm long- her emotions were so out of control right now the water was almost ice when she put the washcloth in it. Dumping out the cold water and getting some fresh-this time making sure the water was scalding just in case- she carefully wiped the blood off of Jack's head and face. She finally got a good look at the cut, and it wasn't good. Deep and jagged, it looked as if he had either fallen from a great height or landed on a sharp rock. She placed the now empty bowl on the nightstand and went back into the bathroom. She looked through the medicine cabinets, searching for some gauze or thick band aids. Finally, she found some medical gauze. Going back into their bedroom, Elsa carefully wrapped Jack's head, trying to comprehend everything. What had happened?

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Elsa looked up and saw Lena standing there, looking wide eyed at Jack. "It's okay Lena, you can come in." Lena ran into Elsa's arms, burying her little head in her mother's shoulder.

"Mommy, is Daddy gonna be okay?" she asked, her voice sounding very small and scared. Elsa could feel tears forming in her eyes, but she held them back. She had to be strong.

"Lena, Daddy is very hurt. I hope he is going to be okay, but I don't know." She looked down into her daughter's shimmering blue eyes- a family trait. "But I promise, whatever happens, your father and I love you so much. So very much." She hugged Lena close, and that's how they stayed until Lena fell asleep in her arms.

After taking Lena to her room and putting her to bed, Elsa went back into her bedroom. She held Jack's hand in hers, silent so she could listen to his breathing. Suddenly, voice called from the living room. "Elsa? Elsa!"

"Anna?" Elsa breathed. Kristoff must have made it back in time to get her and Erik before it got dark. "Anna, I'm back here!" Elsa listened to two pairs of footsteps come down the hall. Anna appeared in the doorway, Erik in her arms, with Kristoff in tow. Anna handed Erik to Kristoff, and sat down next to Elsa.

"Hi Elsa." Anna whispered. "How is he?" she looked over at Jack. Elsa shook her head, unable to speak. "Oh… Elsa, I'm sorry about everything that happened before you all left. I was just so frustrated, and I should have handled it different." She looked up at Elsa, and that's when Elsa saw just how deep a mark she had left when she had shut Anna out for all those years. Anna looked so betrayed, so fearful that this newfound bond she had with her sister had evaporated in a matter of days- or worse, it had been fake the whole time.

"No Anna, I'm sorry. I always shut you out, and when I finally let you back in, the first thing I did was leave you out of one of the biggest things in my life." She began crying again. How could she have been so selfish? Anna was her sister, and until Jack and Lena and Kristoff came around, the only family she had. No matter what her problems were, Anna was a person with feelings too, and Elsa had neglected and pushed her away as if she didn't even matter. Elsa sobbed into her hands, unable to control the onslaught of emotion. Anna hugged her fiercely, and Elsa hugged her back. "Anna, I promise I will never leave you out of anything ever again. You're my sister, and sisters tell each other everything." Anna smiled through her tears, and suddenly the two of them burst out laughing. Unexpected, random and wild laughter that carried through the house. When they finally settled down, and the tears had been dried and the laughter suppressed, the tone immediately grew more somber. During their whole sister motivated emotion fest, Kristoff had taken Erik to Lena's room and put him to bed in the spare crib. So now it was Elsa, Anna and Kristoff, waiting patiently, silently and anxiously for Jack to come back to the real world.

It was three in the morning when Elsa woke up screaming. She had fallen asleep next to Jack, and Anna and Kristoff had taken the pull out couch. She must have been having a nightmare or something, because the last thing she remembered was trying to wake Jack up, and he just wouldn't. Suddenly, something stirred next to her. She looked over to Jack, momentarily forgetting about everything that had happened. When she caught sight of the bandage, everything came whirling back with crystal clarity. It wasn't a nightmare that had woken her up. It was the real world telling her to come back from dreamland and focus on what was really important. She got up, her dress stiff with wrinkles and her hair slightly ruffled, and walked around to Jack's side. She opened the drawer of the nightstand and took out a book of matches and lit the lantern that hung on the wall. A chemical incense that was inside the wick made it burn blue, a feature that Jack had added himself. She put the matches back in the drawer and kneeled down on the floor next to him. As she began to take his hand in hers, he moved. Elsa gasped, and watched Jack's eyes flutter open. He took a long, deep breath, and he looked over to Elsa. He smiled, but Elsa could tell that it was pained. "Elsa…" he whispered. He reached for her hand, and held onto it. His grip was weak, but it was there. Elsa let the tears come, and held onto his hand firmly, adamant to not let go.

"Jack… you're okay." She whispered in surprised shock. He started to get up, but he wasn't strong enough, and fell off the bed into her arms. "Jack! What are you doing? You're still hurt-" her voice was cut off by his lips against hers- the same thing she had done to him just a month ago. When he pulled away, he looked up into her eyes, fear and sadness in them. That's when Elsa realized that something was drastically wrong. "Jack? What's the matter?"

"Where's Lena?" he asked, his voice soft but urgent. Elsa looked at him in bewilderment.

"In her room, why? Jack, you're hurt get back into bed."

"Take me to her. Please." Jack's voice was so insistent in such a soft state that Elsa complied. She didn't know what was going on, but she helped Jack stand and walked him to Lena's room. Lena lay in her crib, fast asleep. Jack leaned on the crib railing and gently pulled her hair from her face. He leaned into the crib and carefully kissed her forehead, making sure not to wake her. "I love you so much Lena. I know you will do great things in your life. You are so smart, so brave, so amazing. I couldn't ask for a better daughter. You are so beautiful, and so talented. One day I know you carry my and your mother's legacy and guard the winter." Emotion choked his voice. "Don't ever change for anyone, because you are perfect just the way you are. Don't let anyone tell you who or what you can and cannot be or do, because you can push past limits. If you want to change something, do it. Don't let anyone stop you." He paused. "Lena, my sweet beautiful girl, I love you so much." And with that he crossed the room to Erik's crib. He leaned on the railing and gently ruffled Erik's hair. "I haven't known you for very long, but you seem like a wonderful kid. You are a good friend and cousin to Lena." He looked up at Elsa, his eyes even more sad and tired than before. "Anna… Kristoff." Elsa nodded and took him to the living room. He touched Anna's shoulder gently. "Anna, you are a wonderful person. Elsa is lucky to have a sister like you, and I am proud to call you family. You have a beautiful family, and a wonderful husband. Don't ever change." Finally, he looked at Kristoff. Elsa could see the pain on his face, but something told her to let him speak. "Kristoff, I am so sorry. For everything that happened all those years ago. I had no idea any of that would happen, and I have never forgotten what I did to your family." Tears formed in his eyes, and Elsa could see that everything was beginning to catch up with him. "Please forgive me, Kristoff. I am so sorry, and I know I can't bring your family back, but I just want you to know this." He paused. "Your sisters' name was Tesa. I am so sorry, Kristoff. You are a good man, and an amazing father and husband." He finally looked back at Elsa, agony in his eyes. He walked, with the support of Elsa, back to their bedroom. "Please, will you wait out here for just a few minutes? Please?" Elsa was confused and a little hurt, but she nodded and waiting by the door frame. Leaning up against the wall, she could hear Jack open up a drawer and take something out. A few minutes passed, and then the drawer closed again. "Okay, you can come in." Elsa did, only to find him lying on the ground beside the bed. She screamed and picked him up and held him in her arms. The nightstand drawer was slightly open, but mostly closed. Jack looked up at Elsa, pain and torment written on his face. "Elsa, you are the most beautiful, caring and wonderful person I have ever met." His eyes suddenly drooped, and his breathing became rapid.

"Jack? Jack!" Elsa cried.

"You are so caring, and warm, and the most amazing mother. Don't ever stop being who you are…" His eyes suddenly went dark, and Elsa screamed.

"Jack! No, Jack, stay with me!" Jack looked up at Elsa, the light gone from his face, and with his final breath he whispered the words he had been longing to say all night.

"I… love you… Elsa." And with that, Jack's eyes fluttered closed, and he fell back against her shoulder. Elsa screamed again, and the whole room suddenly turned to ice. Sharp spears of ice shot from the floor around her and Jack in a circle, and all the snowflakes that had begun to fall froze in midair. She didn't even notice or care when Anna and Kristoff appeared at the doorway.

"Elsa, what is going-" Anna started, but when she saw Jack in Elsa's arms, the words were taken from her mouth, and a sharp cry escaped from her mouth. She dived into Kristoff's arms, and they held each other. Elsa sobbed into Jack's bandaged hair, unable to accept the fact that he was gone.

"No, this can't be happening. This is just a nightmare. Jack, you can't be gone, you can't be gone! You have to be here to take care us, to take care of Lena, you have to see her grow up and turn three and learn to play in the snow just like we planned! You have to stay and protect us! Jack, you have to stay!" As she continued to scream and sob and yell at Jack to wake up, something inside of Elsa broke. Something so vital, something so essential to her being that if broken, could never repair itself. It was the same thing that broke when Elsa thought she had killed Anna. But she had been lucky that time. Her heart was broken for real now. And nothing would be able to fix it.

A

Anna sat down on the couch next to Kristoff, and handed him a cup of coffee. His face was tear stained, and so was hers. Both of them were emotionally and physically exhausted. It had been the longest night in the history of long nights, as it should have been. Jack was dead for crying out loud! If it wasn't a long night and everyone woke up in the morning cheery and well rested, it would have been both disrespectful and very, very strange. Kristoff sighed, something Anna knew everyone would be doing for a while. She sipped her tea, and stared at the wall. One question fluttered around in her mind, but she didn't dare ask it. But it just kept coming back, like a boomerang, leaving for a few minutes and then whipping back. Anna set down her glass and sat up. _Okay, _she thought. _Let's get this over with._ "Kristoff?" she asked, hardly breathing. He looked across at her, cup halfway to his mouth. He set it back down and turned to her.

"What is it, sunshine?" Kristoff's nickname for her almost brought her tears. She couldn't believe she was really going to ask, but she needed to know.

"Kristoff, did you do it?" The words were meant to come out strong, but instead they came out weak and terrified. Kristoff sighed and took her hands in his.

"Anna, of course not! I liked Jack, and even though near the end I was upset and frustrated with him, I wouldn't have…" Kristoff's words failed him, and he closed his eyes. "I would never have been so angry as to kill him. Or even hurt him." Anna sighed with relief. But she could tell that her question had hurt Kristoff. "Anna, you know me better than anyone. Why would you think…?" Anna sniffed, and looked down at their hands. His strong ones, holding on to her little ones.

"Oh Kristoff, I don't know. I-I guess this is just so soon after everything that…" She stopped and looked up at Kristoff. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think you did, but I just needed to ask." Kristoff let go of her hands and wrapped her in a giant hug.

"It's okay. I know it seemed like a pretty big coincidence, but you know that I would never hurt anyone unless it was absolutely necessary, right? And even then, it's not like I would want to." Anna nodded and after a few moments let go. She stood and picked up their glasses off the coffee table, which she noticed was made out of stunningly intricate ice. Walking into the kitchen and emptying what was left in the mugs, she looked out the window at the thick and lush forest. "Oh Jack," she murmured. "Why did you have to go? Can't you see we all need you here?"

K

Kristoff sat on that couch for a very long time, his head in his hands, crying and thinking and searching for answers to impossible questions. Why had this happened? And how? Nothing made sense, and he was pretty sure nothing would for a good long while. He couldn't even imagine the pain Elsa must be feeling. Her one true love was dead. Kristoff physically shuddered when he thought that. Dead. It was such a final word, one of such certainty. You couldn't be half dead, or mostly dead, or even slightly dead. You were just dead. Gone. As in never coming back. As in never again seeing the light of day, or feeling the sun on your face or the moon on your back. Or laughing with your friends and family. Or listening to the world around you spin and make a thousand different noises all at the same time. Or in Jack's case, make the snow fall and the ice form, or spend just one more day with your wife and daughter…

Kristoff shook himself out of his depressing funk. Sure he could be sad, but thinking like that was doing no one any good, especially himself. He stood up and went into the children's room. Erik was playing on the floor with some blocks, trying to get Lena to play with him. But she was silent. Just like her mother, Lena had put walls up around her heart. And until they came down, no one was getting in, and no emotion was getting out. Kristoff sat down next to Erik, and together they built a block city and a pillow fort. Although it was good fun, Kristoff could tell that Erik would've had more fun if Lena was playing too. So Kristoff stood up and went over to Lena. Her blonde-white hair was braided down her back, and her soft navy blue dress and white long sleeve were slightly crumpled at the edges. She wore little white stockings, but no shoes- or gloves. Kristoff smiled. Both were an homage to her parents, and whether she realized it or not, it probably meant a lot. He looked into Lena's little eyes, surprised to see that they were dry. _Probably all cried out._ He thought. "Lena?" He asked quietly. "Do you wanna… play?" Lean jerked her head up to look at Kristoff, her eyes suddenly blazing. She jumped off her bed, and slammed her feet into the floor. The floor began to freeze from her feet outward. Kristoff gasped.

"NO!" she screamed. "I DON'T WANNA PLAY! I WANNA BUILD A SNOWMAN WITH MY DADDY!" Ice began to creep up the walls, and Kristoff hugged Erik close. Lena got to her knees and began crying into her hands. For an almost three year old, she was powerful. Kristoff was both frightened and impressed. And very, very sad for her. Suddenly, Erik wiggled away from him. Kristoff reached to grab his hand, but missed. Erik slowly bent down so he was eye level with the crouching Lena.

"You can buil' a snowmin wif me an' my daddy if you wanna." Erik whispered. He reached for Lena's hand, and without hesitation, took it in his. Lena looked up at him, her eyes wet. She stood up and gave a small smile. The ice on the floor and the walls receded, and everything seemed calm again.

"Okay." She whispered back. And so they did. Although it was a pillow man, all three of them still had fun. When it was over and both the kids were asleep on the now dilapidated pillow man, Kristoff tucked each of them into their beds for a well-deserved nap. He carefully closed the curtain that acted as a door to their room and started down the hall to the main living area, his mind now both a place of sadness and a little bit of fun.

E

Elsa sat on the bed, stroking Jack's hair. She had removed the bandage a little while ago, so now his gash was clearly visible. Her eyes were dry for the moment, but she knew that probably wouldn't last. Suddenly, she remembered Jack opening and closing the nightstand drawer right before he died. Standing and walking to it, she opened it. In the drawer was a stack of envelopes. She pulled it out, and set them on the bed. There were five, each with a carefully inscribed name. Lena, Erik, Anna, Kristoff, Elsa. They were letters. Jack had written down everything he had said to each of his family members so they could actually hear what he had to say. He must have known that he didn't have much time left, so he wrote everything down. She covered her mouth in a futile attempt to keep in the cry of anguish, but it was useless. Knowing what everyone else's' letters said, she picked up hers. Jack hadn't said much to her at the end, so this would be interesting. Elsa ripped the envelope open and pulled out the piece of paper. It read:

_Dear Elsa,_

_How do I begin? How do I write a letter to my one true love in the midst of what I know is going to come? I don't know either, but I'm going to try. So here it goes. Elsa, you are so amazing. From the day I met you, I knew you were something special. You are so beautiful, so talented, and so incredibly smart; I don't even know how or why you chose a goofball like me. But you did, and that was the day I got down on my knees and thanked the heavens for giving me a chance at love. I am so sorry that I can't be there with you and Lena anymore; it kills me (sorry, too soon?) to think that I'll have to watch you two grow without me. But know that I love you and Lena more than anything. I love you more than the moon loves the tides, and the sun loves the earth. I love you more than the birds love the sky and the fish love the sea. I love you more than life itself, and I guess that's why I have to go. I guess I'm holding you two back, and that's why something bigger than any of us is telling me it's time to leave. But that's okay! I can still watch. I'll have the best seat in the house. So whenever you miss me, Elsa, just remember the feeling of snowflakes on your face, or the wind in your hair, or the ice on your hands; because that will be me, trying to tell you just how much I love you._

_-Jack_

Elsa held the paper between her shaking hands, tears running down her face. But she was smiling. This letter meant so much. She would never let it out of her sight, ever. Folding it up and placing it inside her dress pocket, she went and sat back down next to Jack. She still couldn't get used to the fact that she would never hear his voice again, or that she would never feel his hand in hers again. She couldn't believe that just yesterday morning, they had shared a cup of coffee and he had laughed at her for thinking it was awful. She smiled at the memory, but the smile quickly vanished and was replaced with a fresh onslaught of pain. Elsa buried her head into Jack's shoulder, sobbing violently. "Jack…" she whispered. She hadn't realized it, but she had laid her hand on his heart. She searched for a heartbeat she knew she would never find, which just intensified the agony. Suddenly, something happened. Something that for the rest of her life, Elsa would never be able to describe. Something that she would remember forever.

As her hand lay on his chest, her powerful emotions released some of her magic. Not a lot, but some. Enough to go through Jack and touch his heart. Her icy magic encased his heart, and one could say it acted like an icy defibrillator, freezing his heart just enough for his own magic to take back control. In case some didn't know, ice magic never dies. It is its own powerful thing, one that lives on forever. So, you can imagine what happened next. Revived by Elsa's ice powers, Jack's magic became alive again, soaring through him like it had never been asleep. The gash on his head suddenly began to glow blue from within. Elsa looked at the glowing with confusion at first, but it soon turned to amazement when she realized what had happened. Blue swirls filled the room as Jack's magic manifested in its purest form, and beautiful glowing blue snowflakes and stars danced around. But as soon as it came, the glowing filed back, dimming away as his magic returned to him. The magic carefully healed the gash on his head. Elsa looked at the cut, and to her surprise there was not a scar, but instead a faint blue line. Elsa looked back at Jack, hardly daring to breathe. Jack fluttered open his eyes about halfway, looking right at Elsa.

"Elsa?" he asked. Elsa gasped, unable to believe it.

"Jack?"

"Is this the right time to ask you to marry me?" he smiled. Elsa laughed, tears in her eyes.

"Jack!" she tackled him, holding onto him in the biggest bear hug known to exist. When she finally looked him in the eyes, she pressed her lips against his. He kissed back, and at that moment, everything was perfect.

J

Jack was ecstatic, but also very nervous as he waited in front of a massive crowd of citizens. Two weeks had passed since his brush with death, and in those two weeks something magical had happened. Elsa and him had returned to the kingdom and Jack, not fearful any more that the kingdom would reject him for his magic, announced that he would like Queen Elsa's hand in marriage. Of course Elsa accepted, and after showing everyone that he had magic just like her, the wedding was planned. Although a little surprised, Arendelle rejoiced, and welcomed Jack as their new king. And so here he was, waiting at the end of the aisle for his beautiful bride. He glanced back at Kristoff, who was of course the best man. "Were you this nervous when you married Anna?" Jack asked. His palms were already sweating, but from what he had no idea. Looking across the way at Anna, dressed up as the maid of honor, Kristoff chuckled and put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Yup." He smiled. Jack sighed and gave a small smile back. Suddenly, a piano began to play, and everyone stood up. Jack watched with a giant grin as little Lena walked down the aisle, dressed up in a beautiful ice crystal dress. One hand created a beautiful but elegant snow dusting on the walkway, and the other held onto Erik's arm, the little ring bearer. He looked pretty spiffy in his tiny suit. Jack was so proud of his little girl. Right after Jack was revived, Lena had shown Elsa and him what she could do. Just like her mother and father, she could create snow and ice, and Lena, Jack and Elsa had worked as a family to perfect her powers for the wedding. As the two reached the alter, Erik went to stand by his father, carefully holding onto a blue satin pillow with two rings perched on top. Now it was Lena's time to shine. She turned around to the attendees, and creating a snowball in her hands, she tossed it up to the ceiling. It exploded, and snow and sparkles slowly drifted down. As Lena began walking over to stand by Anna, Jack grabbed a hold of her and pulled her in for a big hug.

"I am so proud of you Lena." He whispered into her ear. Lena smiled and raced off to stand by Anna, who was also wearing a crystal ice dress, courtesy of Elsa. As Jack righted himself, he looked up to the aisle. There she was. Elsa came walking down the aisle, a beautiful bouquet of ice roses in hand. Her dress was made of ice like her daily one, but this time, it was a shimmering and glistening white. It reflected all the light in the room, and gave her the appearance of an angel. Her veil was long and flowing and it had tiny snowflakes incrusted in it. Her hair was braided to side like usual, but put together with everything, it just looked amazing. Her golden tiara with the blue gem inside just accented her beautiful eyes. She walked up the few stairs there were and looked at Jack, obviously feeling the same as he did. She handed the bouquet to a smiling Anna, and took Jack's hands in hers. As the priest gave his speech, Jack became more and more excited. Finally, the priest turned to Jack and motioned for Erik to bring the rings. Erik scurried up the stairs and handed the pillow to the priest, who handed alternating rings to Jack and Elsa.

"Do you, Jack, take Elsa, to be your royally wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" Jack smiled and slipped the sparkling ring on Elsa's finger. Of course the rings were made of ice. Shimmering ice facets with a single blue stone in the middle to match Elsa's tiara, her ring was stunning.

"I Jack, take Elsa, to be my royally wedded wife," he repeated. Elsa was smiling, and so was he. Next to having Lena, this was the greatest day of his life. "To have and hold, from this day forward for better or for worse, to richer or poorer, in sickness and in health," he paused, suddenly realizing the significance of the next line. "Until death do us part." He whispered. He looked up at Elsa, tears in his eyes as he remembered just how close he had come to actually parting with her. Elsa was crying also, but they were happy tears. As the priest repeated the lines and Elsa said them back, she put Jack's ring on his finger. His ring was sparkling as well, but instead of a single raised stone, his was a rounded band with smaller shards of blue all around it. Finally, both of them looked at the priest, who was also smiling.

"With the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." Jack didn't wait for the priest to say bride. He just grabbed Elsa and pulled her in for the most wonderful and passionate kiss of all time. He didn't want to stop, but this was the wedding. There would be time for more kissing later. He and Elsa looked at each other, a huge grin plastered on their faces. Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder. It was the priest, holding onto another pillow. But this time, instead of rings, it was the golden orb and scepter- the ones used at coronations. How could he forget? He had to be coroneted as official King of Arendelle. Jack bent his head, and the priest placed a golden crown on it. On three of the middle tiers, there were the same blue stones that were in Elsa's tiara and now their wedding rings. He reached for both the objects, and turning to the audience, raised them high as the priest gave his speech. "Sehm hon HELL-drr IN-um HELL-gum AYG-num ok krund ee THES-um HELL-gah STAHTH, ehk teh frahm FUR-ear U-thear… King Jack of Arendelle." The crowd repeated his name and new title. Jack replaced the orb and scepter, and grabbed Elsa's hand in his. They smiled, and walked down the aisle. Everything was perfect, and nothing would ruin this moment.

A

Anna couldn't have been happier for Jack and Elsa. As the new king and queen of Arendelle, that also meant that Lena was a princess. One day, like her mother, she would take the throne and guide Arendelle as their queen. Of course, at the moment, little Lena was too preoccupied making snowballs with Erik to think about being a princess. Anna laughed, and looked at Kristoff across the dance floor. He was chatting with one of his old ice harvesting buddies, laughing up at a storm. Looking back at Jack and Elsa, Anna giggled when she saw Jack freeze Elsa's drink. But she caught on, freezing his right back. They both laughed, and Anna realized just how perfect they were for each other. She stood and walked over to Kristoff, pulling him away from his friend just long enough for a dance. She rested her head on his strong shoulder, and he gently kissed her head. "This reminds me of our wedding." She murmured. "It was so wonderful." Kristoff nodded, and the two of them gently swayed across the dance floor, enjoying the perfect moment.

After the reception was over and the music stopped, Anna watched as the dance hall slowly emptied out. Soon, the only people left were Jack, Elsa, Kristoff, Erik, Lena and her. They all gathered together and walked out in a small cluster of family. Eventually, the couples and their kids went their separate ways, and Anna and Kristoff walked up the stairs to their portion of the palace. Kristoff held Erik in his arm, but with the other hand he held onto Anna's. Going into Erik's room, Kristoff changed him out of his little suit and put him in some more comfy pajamas, and Anna tucked him into bed. After they made sure he was asleep, they both went to their bedroom, still smiling. "What do you think Elsa and Jack are doing?" Anna called as she changed out of her icy bridesmaid dress. Through the bathroom door, she could hear Kristoff laugh.

"Probably enjoying being married. They've waited who knows how long to get to this point, and they deserve it." she laughed herself, remembering her own wedding. She twisted the sparkling ring on her finger, grinning. She put on her pajamas and let down her hair from its twisty braid, and opened the bathroom door. To her surprise, Kristoff was waiting right there. He grinned and scooped her up in his strong arms and tossed her across his back.

"Kristoff! Put me down!" Anna laughed, beating on his back with her hands. Kristoff laughed, and stopped near their bed.

"As you wish." He tossed her onto the bed, and she landed on a giant pile of pillows. She laughed, and threw one of the pillows at him. It hit him square in the face, and she doubled over with laughter. Kristoff scowled playfully, and dove onto the bed, ready to get back at her. Instead, she just laughed and burrowed deep into the covers. She was tired, and it was nearly two in the morning. Kristoff laughed, and nestled down next to her. "Goodnight Anna." He whispered. She smiled, and held his hand underneath the blankets.

"Goodnight Kristoff."

K

Kristoff paced up and down the long hallway. It had been two days since Jack and Elsa's wedding, and he was a nervous wreck. Apparently it was supposed to be easier the second time around; yeah right. He paced for a few more minutes, and then sat down. And then stood and paced some more. Jack and Elsa were sitting in a pair of chairs, talking quietly and smiling. Erik and Lena were playing with some toys on the floor, giggling and having a ball. Kristoff seemed to be the only nervous one. Suddenly, a nurse opened to door. Kristoff could a small cry from inside, and when the nurse smiled at him, he knew everything was okay. Going in, he sat crouched down next to Anna. In her hands was the most perfect baby girl. She had reddish-brown hair just like her mother, and when she opened her eyes, Kristoff saw they were the most beautiful blue he had ever seen. He smiled, and wiped away a few tears. Anna did the same, and he carefully gave her a hug. "She looks just like you, you know." He whispered. Anna laughed.

"Maybe, but she has your smile." Anna looked at him, and smiled. "Here, why don't you hold her." She handed the girl to Kristoff, who smiled very wide.

"Hi there," he whispered. He watched her fall asleep in his arms, and after a few moments he looked at Anna. "She's so perfect."

"She needs a name. Do you have any ideas?" she asked quietly. Kristoff thought for a moment, and then handed her back to Anna. From his pants pocket he pulled out Jack's letter. Elsa had given everyone's addressed letters to them a few days after Jack was revived, and Kristoff now had a sense of closure on the loss of his former family. But he had an idea, and idea that honor his sister and his parents.

"How about Tesa?" he asked. He showed Anna the letter, and after she read it, smiled up at him, tears in her eyes.

"I think that's a beautiful name." There was a knock at the door. Jack, Elsa, Lena and Erik came in, and Erik leaped into his father's arms.

"Is dat it?" he asked. Everyone laughed, and Kristoff carefully set Erik down on the bed next to Anna.

"Not an it, but she. And yes, Erik, this is your new baby sister, Tesa." Both Jack and Elsa gasped at the name, but it was a happy and proud surprise. It nearly brought Jack to tears. This simple gesture of love for the sister Kristoff never really knew touched him. He knew that wherever Tesa was, she was smiling down on her brother. Soon, everyone was gathering around Anna and Tesa in a circle, holding Tesa and laughing and holding her little hand. Kristoff put Erik on his shoulder, and together, they all looked out the window of the little nursery room. Surrounded by family, everything felt right. And as Arendelle welcomed a new little princess into their arms, so did her family.

"Welcome to the family Tesa." Jack whispered into her ear when it was his turn to hold her. "You're gonna love it here."

Epilogue

Six Years Later, Nine Years After the Great Thaw…

Elsa laughed as little Tesa ran down the hall in front of her. Now six, she was a spitting image of her mother. Erik, now eight, followed right behind her. Holding onto Elsa's hand was Aaron. Aaron, now almost six, had been born about six months after Tesa. He was a surprise, but a happy and wonderful one, and neither Elsa nor Jack could imagine life without him. Aaron looked up at Elsa, a grin on his face. Like his father, his hair was pure white, not a slight blonde-white like his sister Lena's. And like the rest of his family, he could control the winter. He tugged at Elsa's sleeve. "Mommy, can I go play with Erik and Tesa? Pleeassee?" He asked. Jack suddenly approached from behind Elsa, Lena in tow. Their hair was dusted with snow, and their bare feet tracked water down the hall. Lena was growing up so fast. Now nine, she was a perfect combination of her mother's looks and her father's love for fun.

"Oh alright. But if I find out you freeze anyone's feet to the floor, you'll have to face the wrath…." Elsa reached down and tickled Aaron, who began screaming and running down the hall. "The tickle monster!" Lena laughed and ran after her brother. Elsa took Jack's hand, and together they followed the parade of kids into the ballroom.

The ballroom had been beautifully decorated for Christmas. Ice crystal accents blended perfectly with boughs of ivy and holly. In the center, next to a beautiful fireplace, stood a massive pine tree, decorated with a least a hundred shiny things. Elsa sat down in one of the many chairs, and put one of the traditional holiday wreaths on her head like a crown. It was Arendelle tradition to wear them. Anna suddenly appeared from behind the tree, smiling and laughing. She spotted Elsa, and walked over to her. "Merry Christmas Elsa!" she smiled. Elsa laughed and stood up. She embraced her sister in a big hug, and looked up at the tall tree.

"It looks amazing!" Anna nodded, and watched as the four children skated around on a thin skating rink of ice that both Lena and Aaron had made. "We are the luckiest people in all of Arendelle." Elsa whispered, and Anna nodded again. So much had happened in the last few years, so much that had brought them all together. Elsa couldn't have asked for anything better.

As the sun set and the last rays of sunshine came through the big floor to ceiling windows, Elsa, Jack, Lena and Aaron sat on one big couch, and Anna, Kristoff, Erik and Tesa sat on another. The children all snuggled with their parents, listening to the grownups tell stories while trying to fight off sleep. Finally, as the darkness fell and the moonlight shone through the big bay window, Elsa stood up. She walked over to the window and looked out at Arendelle, covered in snow. It was so beautiful, and everything was perfect. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she was surprised to see that it was Anna, looking out with her. "We've come so far together." Anna whispered.

"Yeah. I can't believe how much our lives have grown. And our families." Anna nodded, and she embraced Elsa in a big hug.

"You are by far the greatest sister I could ever ask for." Elsa smiled into Anna's shoulder.

"And so are you."

"I love you Elsa."

"I love you too, Anna."


End file.
